photo-

word-forming element meaning "light" or "photographic" or "photoelectric," from Greek photo-, combining form of phōs (genitive phōtos) "light" (from PIE root *bha- (1) "to shine").

Entries linking to photo-

photochemical (adj.)

1859, "of or pertaining to the chemical action of light," from photo- + chemical. Related: Photochemically.

photocopy (v.)

1924, "make a photographic reproduction," from photo- "photographic" + copy (v.). The usual modern meaning arose 1942 with the advent of xerography. The noun is recorded from 1934. Related: Photocopied; photocopying.

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photograph

"a picture obtained by any process of photography," 1839, coined by English polymath and photography pioneer Sir John Herschel (son of the astronomer) from photo- "light" + -graph "something written." It won out over other suggestions, such as photogene and heliograph. Photogram

photosynthesis

by 1895, loan-translation of German Photosynthese, from photo- "light" (see photo-) + synthese "synthesis" (see synthesis). Related: Photosynthetic. Another early word for it was photosyntax. [T]he body of the work has been rendered into English with fidelity, the only change of

rotogravure

The process was used for printing photo sections of newspapers and magazines, so that the word came to be used for these...

enjoy

In modern use it has a tendency to lose its connection with pleasure: newspaper photo captions say someone enjoys an ice...

edifice

late 14c., from Old French edifice "building" (12c.), from Latin aedificium "building," from aedificare "to erect a building," from aedis, variant of aedes "temple, sanctuary," usually a single edifice without partitions, also, in the plural, "dwelling house, building," originall

consent

c. 1300, "agree, give assent; yield when one has the right, power, or will to oppose," from Old French consentir "agree; comply" (12c.) and directly from Latin consentire "agree, accord," literally "feel together," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + sentir

odd

c. 1300, odde, "constituting a unit in excess of an even number," from Old Norse oddi "third or additional number," as in odda-maðr "third man, odd man (who gives the casting vote)," odda-tala "odd number." The literal meaning of Old Norse oddi is "point of land, angle" (related

dismay

c. 1300, dismaien, "become or be alarmed, upset, or frightened; to confound, break down the courage of by danger or difficulty or fear of calamity, fill with despairing apprehension;" perhaps formed in Anglo-French or Middle English from dis-, here probably intensive (see dis-),

buck

"male deer," c. 1300, earlier "male goat;" from Old English bucca "male goat," from Proto-Germanic *bukkon (source also of Old Saxon buck, Middle Dutch boc, Dutch bok, Old High German boc, German Bock, Old Norse bokkr), perhaps from a PIE root *bhugo (source also of Avestan buza

administration

mid-14c., administracioun, "act of giving or dispensing;" late 14c., "management (of a business, property, etc.), act of administering," from Latin administrationem (nominative administratio) "aid, help, cooperation; direction, management," noun of action from past-participle ste

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updated on December 12, 2020

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Dictionary entries near photo-

phosphoric

phosphorous

phosphorus

photic

photo

photo-

photochemical

photocopier

photocopy

photo-electric

photogenic